Bryan Upton

My Story

Mr. Upton has had a lifelong passion for real estate and a proven track record of success in entrepreneurial ventures. He recognized early on that the biggest obstacle for real estate growth is the access to capital.  Mr. Upton spent years doing extensive research and networking with private investors and brokers across the globe to put together financing that would allow him to do larger projects with greater impact in the community.  From his research and networking Mr. Upton was able to structure large financing packages by bringing multiple resources together, which had a dramatic impact on his business.  He also quickly realized the value this creates for other business owners struggling to piece together the financing puzzle.  Not only do builders and developers need access to capital, they also need financing that is structured to allow them to build their projects without the cost of capital being an undue burden on their business.  RUHL  Group Limited was formed to create bespoke financing programs to solve this problem. 

Mr. Upton’s involvement in real estate began in the mid-1990s when he launched a residential paint contracting company that became one of the largest in the Houston area. Under his leadership, the company not only exceeded the industry average in sales by 500%, but also achieved a 95.7% customer satisfaction rating and gained 82% of its business from repeat and referral clients. After selling the paint contracting company, and spending a couple of years as an award-winning sales representative for a national health insurance firm, Mr. Upton realized that real estate was his true personal and professional passion. In 2003, he began researching the real estate investment market and by 2007 he had acquired almost three dozen single-family rental properties as well as a small multi-family apartment complex. As a result of his success, he was recruited by a real estate consulting firm to mentor new investors on the best strategies for identifying, evaluating, financing, closing, rehabilitating, leasing, and selling investment properties. In 2009, Mr. Upton was recruited to join Guardian Equity Management, where he served first as Executive Vice President and was later promoted to Chief Executive Officer responsible for seven of the company’s divisions.

Leaving Guardian in 2013 to found Refined Custom Builders, Mr. Upton has continued to add to his personal real estate portfolio domestically and internationally. He is a sought-after lecturer for real estate groups and has guest-hosted numerous radio programs dedicated to real estate investing. Mr. Upton acquired his real estate agent license in 2008, his broker designation in 2010, and holds a Certified Graduate Builder designation from the National Association of Home Builders. He earned a bachelor’s degree with a specialty in Entrepreneurship from the University of Texas in 1994. Outside of work, Mr. Upton trains in Mixed Martial Arts and holds a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.